The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Millet. Lydia. A Children’s Bible. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2020.

The story takes place in the present day or the near future. It is set somewhere in a wealthy, semi-rural town in New York or New England. The narrator is a teenage girl named Eve—nicknamed Evie. Evie’s has come with her parents to this town, as the parents have rented a large house with several other adults. Most of the adults are friends from college. Evie spends most of her time with the children of the other parents. Most of the children are teenagers like her. In an effort to distance themselves from their parents, the teens have decided to hide the identities of their parents from each other. They have made a game out of trying to guess which adult is the parent of which child. Pone of the parents gives a book to Jack, Evie’s younger brother. The book is an illustrated Bible for children.

Jack takes an interest in the Bible, and he occasionally speaks about the stories, and about his developing ideas about religion. Many events in the novel are analogous to specific Bible stories. For example, around the time that Jack reads the story of the Garden of Eden, the teens decide to live outdoors for a few days. They leave the outdoors after meeting James, the teenage son of some wealthy neighbors. He invites them aboard his family’s yacht, which is called the Cobra. One of the teens, Alycia, accepts an invitation to ride with James and his family on the yacht, down the coast. One of the other teens, David, sabotages the navigation system on the yacht. He later feels guilty, as the weather forecast predicts a powerful storm. Fortunately, the coast guard is able to rescue the passengers. Around this time, at the rental house, twin sisters Kay and Amy have an argument. Kay throws a rock at Amy’s head, injuring her. This plot point parallels the Bible story of Cain and Abel.

Before the storm arrives, Jack collects as many animals as he can and stows them in a tree house. Evie and some of the other teens stay with Jack in the tree house during the storm. This plot point parallels the story of Noah’s Ark. After the storm subsides, the teens meet a groundskeeper named Burl. Burl says that they should move inland to be further form the ocean and the coming storms. The teens follow Burl and leave the parents behind. They eventually arrive at a farm and take shelter in the barn. They contact the farm’s owner via cell phone. The owner agrees to let them stay there temporarily, as long as they obey certain rules. These plot points parallel the major events of the Bible’s book of Exodus.

Eventually, one of the parents arrives at the farm to fetch them. It is the mother of a teenage girl named Sukey. The mother is pregnant and begins to go into labor. Paralleling the story of Jesus’ birth, she gives birth to the baby in the barn. Sukey’s mother dies in childbirth, but the baby survives. The teens continue to live on the farm, and they are joined by a small group of friendly, transient people who refer to themselves as “angels.’ Society in the countryside begins to destabilize following the destruction of the storms. Eventually, a lawless militia of armed men arrives at the farm and threatens to kill the angels if the teens do not give up all of their food and supplies. The parents arrive at the farm, and the militia takes the parents hostage. The militia eventually dies, some of them in a barn fire, and some in a shootout with the police.

The teens and parents leave the farm and travel to a mansion. The mansion is owned by the parents of one of the teens. Society continues to destabilize around them. The parents become lethargic and carefree, so the teens take charge of organization. They execute a plan to make their impromptu community self-sufficient. Eventually, parents develop a deep sense of detachment. One day, the parents simply disappear. They apparently have left the area altogether. Jack begins to wonder and worry about what happens after death. Evie comforts him and says that they must maintain hope for the future.